DC Venture Lab Participants

Davidson College Venture Lab participants’ ideas span diverse industries and for-profit/nonprofit business models. Learn more about the visions and ventures of current and past DC Venture Lab participants.

Crossfaded

Andy Baay '17Michael DiSimone ‘15

What is Crossfaded?The name Crossfaded comes from the component on a DJ's mixer that transitions one song into another seamlessly. Our venture is inspired by this, in that we want to create a more unified listening experience for everyone playing their music. Whether at an impromptu party, grinding out work in the office, or doing your daily workout, crossfaded musical transitions keep you focused and provide a unique way to listen to your music.

What do you hope to accomplish? What do you hope to learn?By the end of the summer, we hope to have developed software that can help demonstrate our vision for crossfaded. We hope to write a program that will be able to apply DJ-like transitions between any two songs. From there, we would like to package the software as an app that could become the standard listening app for iOS and Android devices.

Our primary goal is to learn from this experience. Going through the process of evolving a product, networking with other professionals, and collaborating with entrepreneurs will give us invaluable knowledge for this summer and also for our professional lives hereafter. Through extensive research, we would also like to gain a better understanding of what users really require and desire from their music listening experience and how crossfaded can satisfy those needs.

PAX Backpacks

Joe Morrison '14

What is PAX Backpacks? Pax Backpacks is focused on creating a fashionable domestically manufactured backpack with a timeless design that appeals to high school and college students. For every backpack we sell, we donate 22 percent of the profit to a community partner working to help disadvantaged students succeed in school. The reason for the odd percentage donation is simple: 22 percent of children growing up in the U.S. are living in poverty.

What do you hope to accomplish? What do you hope to learn? My goal for PAX is to fully launch the company in time for the back-to-school buying season in late summer. Pax will complete an extensive product development process, coordinate a professional marketing campaign, and use Kickstarter.com to crowd source the capital for our first production run. I am excited to learn a range of entrepreneurial basics, from accounting techniques to networking skills. I am confident that colocating with other innovative entrepreneurs in a startup incubator will provide an incomparable working and learning opportunity this summer, and I am thankful for the chance to participate in the DC Venture Lab.

Hives for Lives

Tori Mayernick '14

What is Hives for Lives? Hives for Lives (H4L) is a student run non-profit that sells local, natural honey to raise money for cancer research. Our mission is to educate youth about entrepreneurship by allowing them to run their own business and to demonstrate through a hands-on approach that business can be a force for good.

What do you hope to accomplish? What do you hope to learn? I'm very excited to have the opportunity to work with Packard Place this summer. With the help of this supportive and communal environment, I hope to grow Hives for Lives throughout the Charlotte area while spreading our company's mission which aims to demonstrate how business can be used as a force for good. The mentorship of knowledgeable entrepreneurs will enable me to master fundamental business skills while using tools like social media to develop H4L in new and innovative ways.

Hives for Lives has several goals this summer. The first of which is to build our presence on social media sites in an effort to reach out to the college age population. We also aim to improve our distribution system and find a new supplier of honey. I would love to work with someone who has some experience in any of these areas. Most importantly, I'm looking forward to collaborating with other entrepreneurs at Packard Place to make Charlotte's startup community even stronger.